Making a GeminiBook out of my Mac

How a hallucinated workflow led me to the Pixel 10 Pro

I spent the last week on a technical hunt that turned out to be a total hallucination. I wanted to build an environment on my Mac that felt like a high-spec Chromebook—a setup where the AI is actually part of the system rather than just living in another open tab. I followed the AI directions on how to bridge that gap, only to find out I was being led down a series of dead ends. The features I was looking for simply do not exist on the desktop.

PWA Pivot

The only successful part of this experiment was isolating the interface. Using a standard browser window is a mess of tabs and address bars that just creates unnecessary noise. I set Gemini up as a Progressive Web App (PWA) to strip all that junk away.

By giving the tool its own dedicated window, the interface became quiet and focused. I could move between my prompts and the data without fighting the usual browser clutter. It felt like a professional environment for the first time, but that was the ceiling of the experience.

Mobile-Only Reality

The frustration started when I tried to trigger Live mode. The AI insisted I could run the real-time voice assistant directly from the desktop PWA. It was wrong. After hours of troubleshooting, the hard truth came out: Gemini Live is exclusive to the mobile app UI. It does not exist on macOS or any web-based version of the tool.

I was chasing a ghost because the software did not understand its own platform limitations. By trying to build a streamlined desktop workflow, I was looking for a feature that is fundamentally locked away on a phone.

Hardware Gap

The experience on my current iPhone hardware is just as fragmented. Siri is not an AI. It is a static assistant that has no concept of what is happening inside an app or what I am trying to achieve as a VoiceOver user in real-time.

• There is no fluid hand-off between Siri and VoiceOver.
• It is a series of disconnected commands that frequently stall out.
• I am forced to manually bridge the gap between intent and action.

This is why I am moving to the Pixel 10 Pro. The Tensor G5 chip and 16 GB of RAM are the baseline for running on-device AI that actually integrates with the OS. I need an environment where the assistant can actually see the UI and work in tandem with VoiceOver, rather than just being a voice-activated shortcut to nowhere.

Ontario Savings

Since I am buying the handset outright, the price gap between Lisburn and Ontario is massive. I will be picking this up from Best Buy when I land and using my Wise account to settle the bill.

Location	Model	Total (inc. Tax)	Price in GBP
Ontario	Pixel 10 Pro (128GB)	$1524.37 CAD	£617.00
UK	Pixel 10 Pro (128GB)	£999.00 GBP	£999.00

By handling it this way, I am saving about £382. That is a huge result, and it pays for the Pixel Watch 4 I am planning to add to the kit later.

Moving Forward

The Mac is still the anchor for my deep work, but I am done trying to force the assistant to behave on macOS. Gemini on the desktop is fine for text, but as a live partner, it is a series of broken promises. Chasing those ghosts was a waste of energy I did not have to spare. The Pixel 10 Pro is the only logical move to get the discipline and the performance I actually need for this trip.